The siren started to blare while we were still inside Ben Gurion airport, as if to remind us that we were arriving in the middle of the Gaza war. I was amazed at the calm of everyone in our large group as we retired to a safe area to be cleared. This was my fourth trip to Israel with the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project, and in retrospect, other than the siren and an empty Kotel plaza, you would hardly have known that a battle was raging a few miles away.

Although most people have heard of Birthright, the program that brings young Jews to Israel to awaken and strengthen their Jewish identity, few have heard of JWRP. It, too, leverages the magic of Eretz Yisrael to empower women to reach their potential as Jewish wives and mothers and thus transform their families and communities.